http://linkedith.kaywa.com/en2008-04-19T09:08:08Zhourly12000-01-01T12:00+00:00http://linkedith.kaywa.com/perso/moving.htmlI am in Switzerland moving out of an apartment i had rented since i am a student. The place was a sweet dump filled with...2008-04-19T09:08:08ZEdith Ackermannperso


I have never had to let go of so many evocative objects at once. Not to speak of the [potentially] useful work folders, journals, paperbacks, and the un-necessary copies of my doctoral thesis. I guess i will feel lighter once i am done. Meanwhile, it's more on the heavy side. Good i have my "final home" coat with me...

Thanks Noboyuki :)

Also nice: accomplice and long-time friend Delphine gave me small painting by her father, Pierre Chevalley, as a token of all those paintings from my own dad's dads that will end in her basement. And the best part: it's a transportable and vibrant token — one that will finish in Cambridge, MA



Merci Delpine :)

Objects come, objects go, and so do people!]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/activities/groupe-compas-apprendre-demain-sciences-cognitives-et-education-a-lere-numerique.htmlLe groupe COMPAS, dont je fais partie, a un nouveau blog.2008-03-15T21:04:34ZEdith Ackermannprojectsblog.]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/talks/olpc-panel-african-youth-development-through-art-and-technology-harvard-university-march-13-15-2008.htmlI was invited to speak at an olpc panel for the conference, and I was going to offer a few thoughts on what it means to live...2008-03-14T21:43:24ZEdith Ackermanntalksconference, and I was going to offer a few thoughts on what it means to live and learn in the age of multiple mobilities. But, then, i got real sick and I couldn't attend. So, here goes a short abstract, as well as the URL of a related talk: I sent both to Lidet Tilahun, who kindly invited me, for distribution. I sure will miss an extraordinary event :(



People today are spending ever more time, not in a specific location but on the move from one place to another. Alias, even people who never went places are constantly on the go. How is this "nomadic" lifestyle —a new blend of physical, virtual, and digital trajectories and ties— affecting the ways today's youngsters (often referred to as digital natives) play and learn, see themselves, relate to others, use space, and treat things? I stress the importance of "third places": informal settings between home and school/work, in which youngsters can explore and enact otherwise "dangerous" ideas, through personal and collective expression. Like Winnicott's "transitional" zones, third places offer safe stages for identity-formation and world-making. I identify some of the qualities conducive to transformative experiences through shared creative expression. I reflect on the power of digital to augment people's sense of being-in-the-world by tying private and public, local and global, actual and possible in novel ways.]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/papers/exploratory-design-augmented-furniture-on-the-importance-of-objects-presence-ii.html Below, find a link to the final version of a chapter that Lira Nikolovska and I wrote (to appear in the book "Collaborative...2008-02-25T14:33:46ZEdith Ackermannpapers

Below, find a link to the final version of a chapter that Lira Nikolovska and I wrote (to appear in the book "Collaborative Artefacts, Interactive Furniture", edited by Pierre Dillenbourg and Mauro Cherubini, in press). The chapter explores the poetics of everyday objects, and their abilities to elicit meaningful associations. Our focus is on a special kind of everyday objects: a chosen set of “augmented” chairs and tables, especially designed to gently disrupt, or shake, habitual ways in which people interact with – and through – furniture. We address the qualities of these objects in terms of object “presence” and “personality,” and we discuss their abilities to engender amusing incongruities. We conclude by speculating on the benefits of using exploratory, non-mainstream design methods as a means to understand innovations in human-computer interaction. Several cases of augmented furniture will be presented to illustrate the raised points: i) therapeutic furniture (Robotic Massage Chair and Squeeze Chair) and ii) furniture that mediates human transactions and aides self reflection (Conversation Table, Stealing Table and Table Childhood).

If you wish to know more, see ciaf final 2008]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/perso/moments-of-fame-fluxus-.html Ce matin, je sors de l'anonymat, je fais "la une" de la Tribune de Geneve. Mon nom est a l' affiche partout, meme sur les...2008-02-23T20:39:54ZEdith Ackermannperso

Ce matin, je sors de l'anonymat, je fais "la une" de la Tribune de Geneve. Mon nom est a l' affiche partout, meme sur les mouettes. C'est incroyable et c'est vrai (que c'est incroyable :) Pour plus d'information, visitez le site]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/reads/taking-play-too-seriously-i-sometimes-wonder.html It looks like PLAY is everywhere these days (often under the disguise of hard fun, serious play, edutainment). I wonder if we...2008-02-17T19:07:49ZEdith Ackermanninsights
It looks like PLAY is everywhere these days (often under the disguise of hard fun, serious play, edutainment). I wonder if we are not at the eve of some emerging mega-trend along the continuum from / to:
- knowledge society (explore, understand)
- creative society (imagine, innovate)
- experience society (feel it, sense it)
Maybe we are entering a new phase, something like a
- "reach-the-child-within" society (play, be, enjoy): a culture that seeks eternal youth and well-being (body, mind, soul), a culture that wants to be forever pampered, innocent, fresh, and energized.

David Byrne got it right: We are "growing backwards"]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/activities/haiti-olpc-aidb-january-21-25-2008.html Mission Accomplished :) I went to Haiti with David Cavallo (OLPC) and Claudia Urrea (IDB). Our hosts, Guy Serge Pompidus...2008-01-26T21:09:33ZEdith Ackermannprojects
Mission Accomplished :)

I went to Haiti with David Cavallo (OLPC) and Claudia Urrea (IDB). Our hosts, Guy Serge Pompidus (SC) and Sophie Makonnen (IDB) have managed a tour de force to get the stars aligned. Thanks to their help, we met key players from government, IDB, and universities; we visited schools in and out of Port-au-Prince; we discussed the learning potential of the XO with educators, officials, and researchers. By the end of the week, IDB and government representatives gave their approval to fund and support the project, and heads of university and research centers offered their expertise. It looks like the ball is now ready to roll. Next steps, from a learning perspective: prepare for the arrival of the machines. On a personal note, this has been a memorable week. I don't know of an other place where extreme poverty and great potential co-exist in such incomprehensible fashion. I marveled at our hosts' abilities to displace mountains and at the children's sunny faces. For photos of the trip, visit the site]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/perso/questions-and-flowers-fischli-and-weiss-retrospective-kunsthaus-zh-2007.htmlThe work of Fischli / Weiss makes use of surprise, the technique of ‘détournement’, and thus leaves room for...2008-01-20T02:52:05ZEdith Ackermannperso


Swiss artists Peter Fischli (born 1952) and David Weiss (born 1946) have been collaborating since 1979. The 2007 retrospective boasts the most comprehensive overview to date of an oeuvre as varied as it is enigmatic. Comprising sculpture, photography, film and video, the work of Fischli / Weiss simply resists classification.]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/activities/olpc-and-learning-moving-along-workshop-january-2008.html A third learning workshop was held at OLPC this past week (14-17 january). cf. OLPC laptop news (2008-1-19) OLPC...2008-01-19T17:32:05ZEdith Ackermannprojects

A third learning workshop was held at OLPC this past week (14-17 january). cf. OLPC laptop news (2008-1-19)

OLPC learning-team and localities are joining forces to imagine and design the learning environments and communities of the 21st century. Most striking, from a learning perspective, was the sense of ownership and engagement among participants who use the "give one get one" window as a lever to grow city-wide initiatives, both in the US and abroad (Anchorage Alaska, Birmingham Alabahma, and New York City are 3 cases to be followed :) Equally impressive was the range and depth of expertise around the table—and facilitators' ability to strike a balance between hands-on and head-in; practical challenges and long-term goals [thanks David, Walter, learning-gang!]. Some highlights of the workshop include: an inspiring presentation by Dr. Felton Earls and Maya Carlson of the Harvard School of Public Health on participatory surveys and indicators for community development, as well as their work in Tanzania and Chicago; presentations and contributions by OLPC Learning-team [Edith Ackermann, Ed Baafi, Juliano Bittencourt, Fatimata Seye Sylla, Elana Langer, Julain Daily, Cynthia Salomon, Alice Cavallo, and David Cavallo]; open house for OLPC developers to 'demo' their XO tools and discuss tools' learning potential with participants.

For more information on this workshop, visit the site
Also see comments by John Clemente and Evan Odonnell on the "teaching matters" blog

]]>http://linkedith.kaywa.com/activities/puente-public-spaces-for-inter-generational-learning.html “PUENTE” stands for bridge and, in this case, the bridge connects the young and the elder or, more generally,...2007-11-22T16:02:15ZEdith Ackermannprojects
“PUENTE” stands for bridge and, in this case, the bridge connects the young and the elder or, more generally, new-comers and old-timers to a place, or a community: PUENTE identifies conditions that may draw folks who wouldn’t otherwise meet to do things they couldn’t otherwise do [learn from each other, respect one another, broaden their views]. Combining different approaches, such as case studies and participatory design techniques, the team imagines events and activities that enable participants to unveil aspects of their “personae” that would otherwise remain untapped. The settings and places created are reflective of the changing identities and dreams of its dwellers. For more information on the project, and partners involved, check out the PUENTE website . Also check out PUENTE

Note: Project PUENTE (2007-2009) has evolved out of earlier EU Project "La Piazza". Information on Piazza can be found on this blog, in the same category "projects". You may also visit the site

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